Palin is still woefully unprepared for the VP slot, and still empty of anything deeper than what earned her Miss Congeniality in her youth, but she didn't trip up in any obvious way that will give a wake-up call to anyone who thought she was kinda cool.

In the Katie Couric interviews, her idiocy and lack of knowledge was painfully obvious. I doubt that very many in middle America and the working class saw those clips, though.

Here in the debate, though, with Biden, which probably many more of those folks DID see, she came off as more polished.

Still evaded. Still doesn't know crap for the most part. Still empty as can be and loony to boot.

But she looked better doing it, and that might have just cemented her support among the less informed (or less willing to become informed) crowd out there.

As I've said at a couple other blogs, though, I was only able to catch the latter 25% of the thing, so maybe she flubbed up more obviously early on and I missed that chance to see it.

All I can say is I don't like her. I really don't like her. I didn't know how much I didn't like her until this debate. Her voice is highly irritating. She didn't answer the questions posed. She effing WINKED. Gave a shout out. Joe Six pack...? What the hell? This woman is a joke, still. She was way too "folksy" and just very unlikable.

I'm with you, Palin annoys me on a very visceral level, like if I ever met her I could not be held reponsible for my actions.

If she and McCain wins, I will have lost all faith my fellow Americans. Joe 6-Pack for VP??? Come on, like Chris Matthews said last night, we have just spent the last 8 years with Joe 12-pack, you would think we might want something a bit better than a woman who can't answer questions.

I must say though that Biden did good, stayed on task which was important.

This Joe Sixpack phenomenon is easily one of the worst things to happen to America and a clear sign that we are a country in the decline. Are we really celebrating cats who sit down and polish off a whole sick pack? Is that something to be cherished?

My wife said Palin reminds her of one of those mean, nasty girls in high school who was cruel to people for no reason, but was incredible popular. I think she's right.

I'm agreeing w/ Deacon Blue. She didn't drop the ball and watch it roll across the floor. A huge improvement for her. I actually heard a commentator say that she "won by not losing". WTF? You win by WINNING!But I did learn a couple of things: a) I feel less good about Obama's selection of Biden. But that's water under the bridge now.b) Palin's voice makes my skin crawl.

[T]he Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world,—a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.